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Byte-Sized Virtue S06E03 - Humility for Fans

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WtF Dragon, inspired by an episode of Catching Foxes (a Catholic podcast that he would recommend anyone over the age of about sixteen— Catholic or not — listen to), discusses the role humility must play in how a fan of a property approaches that property...whether it's Star Wars, or Ultima.
Full show notes at spamspamspamhumbug.com.

To celebrate the 100th episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug, the other hosts have turned the tables on WtF Dragon, and have put him in the interview hot seat. We are also proud to announce the launch of SpamSpamSpamHumbug.com, and also the launch of Question and Answer portals (think: Stack Overflow) at both that site and the Ultima Codex.
Full show notes available at spamspamspamhumbug.com!

Inspired by an episode of a podcast called Catholic Bytes, WtF Dragon takes a look at the idea of giving things up for Lent — and at the plans and goals he has set up for himself in general — and reflects on the fact that it's very easy to let pride infect this aspect of our lives.
Full show notes at ultimacodex.com!

WtF Dragon was entirely absent for the recording of this episode, and so its contents are a bit of a mystery. That said, Save vs. Dragon and Sir Klaus begin by talking about board games, attempts to adapt Ultima as board games, and the video game For The King (which grew out of an attempt to adapt Ultima 7: The Black Gate as a board game). Where it goes from there...is something you will have to find out as you listen.
Full show notes at ultimacodex.com!

A key point of Lenten penances is to give up things that are good...and to welcome with joy the fruitfulness that resuts.
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Christians take on “penances” during the season of Lent; these

Rumours have been circulating that Microsoft might be looking at buying up EA. Or Valve. Or the PUBG developers.
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Quest chains and narrative storylines are commonplace in MMORPGs now, but do the inclusion of these elements break the group play experience? Also, Shroud of the Avatar is slated, possibly, for launch this March.
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This ep

What better way to kick off a new year of Spam Spam Spam Humbug than to do a “live” recording at a meetup of Ultima Dragons?
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This being an Ultima-themed podcast, let's take a look at how that series of games understands and presents the Virtue of Humility.
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Podcast Topic
This week, we take a look at how the Virtue of Humility is understood and presented i

How would you respond if your child turned out to be the King of the Universe?
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In listening to the most recent &#

In which we explore headcanon, what-if scenarios about Sosarian and Britannia history, and even where some Ultima games themselves took canon in a different direction.
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug

With the dawn of another Advent season, let’s take a look at the Virtue of Humility.
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A couple of weeks ago, I created a poll on the Ultima Dragons group on Facebook, solicit

A previously unpublished 2014 interview with Richard Garriott, in which he discusses Ultima 9, Ultima X, Shroud of the Avatar, and other things besides.
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We talk about Ireland, hurricanes, Star Wars, and eventually Shroud of the Avatar.
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A lengthy discussion on multiplayer games, community management, and other topics.
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In which Raph Koster — Designer Dragon, the original designer working on Ultima Online — tells still yet more stories from that game's earliest years.
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is b

What better way to mark the 20th anniversary of Ultima Online than by hearing stories from the original designer thereof?
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What exactly is an RPG, anyway?
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Another round of random Dragonly rabble.
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I honestly have no idea what's in this episode.
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It's really the perfect name for the generation between Generation X and the Millennials; we grew up playing video games.
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Shroud of the Avatar isn't the first game to propose the idea that one or more entries in a series should be playable as a contiguous experience.
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Spam Spam Spam Humbug and the Ultima Codex

A look at the various works of written fiction that have been based on the Ultima series, both official novels and fan efforts.
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What is a game, why do we play games, and why do we keep playing them?
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We take a look at gameplay features — NPC schedules, day/night cycles, and other systems — and their impact on one's enjoyment of a game.
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brough

In which we examine — and sass — IGN's Top 100 RPGs of All Time list.
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This episode was nearly given the title “Chekov's Pixels”, for reasons that will become apparent. Also, Ultima 7: The Black Gate is 25 years old now.
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug

Another season of Byte-Sized Virtue draws to a close.
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Podcast Topic
Stack Dragon wrote in to comment on the last Byte-Sized Virtue episode:
I enjoyed your late

Is it enough to simply reject shame, and being shamed, to follow the path of Honor? Or is there more we should be mindful of?
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There's a couple passages that struck me, while I was reading G. K. Che

A mish-mash of topics, with a lot of talk about emulators for old gaming consoles.
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brought to you by our Patreon backers; thank you to ever

What can we come to know about Honor, as a virtue, by looking at its negation?
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There's something I forgot to look at last week!

Because one episode wasn't enough to cover everything that was awesome about the Ultima Dragons Anniversary Bash.
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In which Klingons are referenced.
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This week's reflection is probably the most “off the cuff” of the season (at least to date), and it continues to poke around the ideas that were explored last

A lengthy debrief session for those who planned, helped organize, and/or attended the Ultima Dragons 25th Anniversary Bash last month.
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How Ultima presents the Virtue of Honor (e.g. in the Gypsy questions) often fails to align with how Honor is defined in Ultima lore.
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This week's reflection was inspired, most directly, by a comment from

Have we been doing this for two years already?
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On the importance of forgiveness...and of admitting fault.
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Spurred on by this touching, very reflective art

In which we discuss The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and how it hearkens back, in its own way, to Ultima 6.
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Paradoxically, it's often easier to be virtuous when it comes to the big things, and much more difficult to be virtuous in the little, private details.
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This is partly a follow-up to last week's episode,

Let's talk about game music - the great, and the forgettable.
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Virtue is an interior disposition to do the good...but what if you don't always perceive that interior call?
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The liturgical season of Lent began last week with Ash Wednesday

For lack of any decided-upon topic, we instead talk about random bits of gaming news...notably, the Nintendo Switch and Mass Effect: Andromeda.
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A long-overdue interview with Zedex Dragon, the creator of U3.5: Pax Britannia.
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brought to you by our Patreon backers; thank you to everyon

The community and the judges have cast their votes; let's now reveal which Ultima fan project has been voted Fan Project of the Year for 2016!
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We take a look at PC Gamer's Ultimate RPG Handbook, and comment on its presentation of the history and influence of the *Ultima* series.
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How do our children — or our nieces, nephews, and other young children we know — respond to classic PC and console games?
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When we were kids, at least, messing around with video games was at least as fun as playing them to pass them.
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Let's take a look at the progress that various Ultima fan projects and Ultima-inspired projects made in 2016.
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In which, somehow, we bring to a close this discussion of the Virtue of Spirituality and the anima technica vacua.
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It's never easy to wind down a season of Byte-Sized Virtue, especially not one

Deathblade Dragon chronicles his struggles with depression, fatherhood, and living according to the Eight Virtues.
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If there's one episode where we'd like to hear back from you, it's this one; De

How often do we miss perceiving the humanity of others around us, instead opting to distract ourselves with the fleeting and the ephemeral?
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In which the discussion with Paul comes to an

Where did it all start, our respective fascinations with computers and gaming consoles? What were the systems — and who were the people — along our technological journeys?
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This episode of Sp

What is it about being human? And, more importantly, how should we respond — as humans — to other humans, simply by virtue of the fact that they're human?
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Paul and me contin

From a spiritual standpoint, progress can be a great thing; we should hope our spiritual journey moves us toward a telos, an ultimate end. But in other senses, progress doesn't always mean that.
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Let's talk about game bosses. The memorable ones, the hard ones, the dumb ones...and maybe even the absent ones.
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How do you live out the ideal of Spirituality? It might be better to ask, first, how you live in relation to — and in relationship with — others.
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Podcast Topic(s)
My friend Paul rejoins the podcast to discu

Let's talk about game bosses. The memorable ones, the hard ones, the dumb ones...and maybe even the absent ones.
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It's the difference between looking at constellations in an app, and looking at a sky full of stars.
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For those of you that follow my Scouting-themed podcast

Gallara Dragon joins us to discuss the latest news about the Ultima Dragons 25th anniversary bash. And then a bunch of us disucss random things.
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Why do we still use arbitrary, numeric systems to review and rate games?
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brought to you by our Patreon backers; thank you to everyone who s

What's the best way to design a game: solidify the story first, or get the underlying tech in place and then craft a story around it?
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What even makes dialogue interesting in RPGs? What works, and what doesn't?
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brought to you by our Patreon backers; thank you to everyone who supports Spam Spa

In which we discuss voiceovers in games, how difficult they are, why it would be a bad idea to crowdsource voiceover work...and then eventually we get into crowdsourced NPC dialogue in general. Sort of.
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This episode of Spam S

We had so much fun talking about conversation systems last week, we decided to give it another go.
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brought to you by our Patreon backers; thank you to everyone wh

Let's take a look at different forms of conversation systems that crop up in games.
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brought to you by our Patreon backers; thank you to everyone who supports Spam Spam Spam Humbug and the Ultima Codex by that means. And, as always,

In a multiplayer game, it is inevitable that some players will abuse or take advantage of others. Which of these behaviours, if any, should developers allow to take place, and which should they work to prevent?
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Avatar's Radio, who not only support us vi

Let's look at some (more) of the pitfalls that can affect game development.
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brought to you by our Patreon backers; thank you to everyone who suppo

Spam Spam Spam Humbug chats with Starr Long about Shroud of the Avatar's Release 32, its now-persistent world, and the land rush that players have been participating in over the last couple weeks.
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brought to you by our Patreon backers; thank you to

Let's look at some of the pitfalls that can affect game development.
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brought to you by our Patreon backers; thank you to everyone who supports Spam Spam Spam Humbug and the Ultima Codex by that means. And, as always, a hearty thank you to our

We've somehow managed to reach a fiftieth episode. That seems significant.
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brought to you by our Patreon backers; thank you to everyone who supports Spam Spam Spam Humbug and the Ultima Codex by that means. And, as always, a hearty thank you to our

The later Ultimas featured robust interactive world systems, which even allowed for objects to be combined to make other objects (e.g. bread). How does this relate to modern crafting systems in RPGs?
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brought to you by our Patreon backers; thank you to everyo

With more and more title incorporating “RPG elements”, can it be said that RPGs are the foremost category of video games?
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Probably not; Ultima just isn't as well-known an IP. But AR RPGs could possibly work, and even bring considerable innovation to the AR space.
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brought to you by our Patreon backers; thank you to everyone who supports Spam Spam Spam Humbug and the Ult

If you grew up playing computer games in the 90s, you probably know what a LAN party is.
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This episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brought to you by our Patreon backers; thank you to everyone who supports Spam Spam Spam Humbug and the Ultima Codex by that means. And, as always, a hearty tha

In hindsight, it was obvious that at some point, WtFD would have to eat some of his words regarding the Kim Karsdashian iOS game.
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As always, a hearty thank you to our Patreon co-producers: Seth, Johnny, Dominik, Chris, Violation, Adam, Erik, Thorwan, Cody, Pascal, and Neil.

At least in the realm of PC games, physical box copies seem to be going away...with the exception of collectors editions that have lots of feelies in them.
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As always, a hearty thank you to our Patreon co-producers: Seth, Johnny, Dominik, Chris, Violation, Adam, Erik, Thorwan, Cody, Pascal, and Nei

EA has been teasing “mystery titles” for its 2018 lineup, including new takes on a couple of (unspecified) old IPs.
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As always, a hearty thank you to our Patreon co-producers: Seth, Johnny, Dominik, Chris, Violation, Adam, Erik, Thorwan, Cody, Pascal, and Neil.New Ultima Dragons

No, not origins in the sense of science. Rather, in the sense of people. And philosophy.
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As this second season of Byte-Sized Virtue draws to a close ahead of Pentecost, we wrap up the discussion with Chlorthos Dragon. Primarily, the discussion has been about the topic

It seems like publishers just aren't making games for our demographic anymore. How, then, should we go about transmitting our love of gaming to the next generation?
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As always, a hearty thank you to our Patreon co-producers: Seth, Johnny, Dominik, Chris, Violation, Adam, Erik, Thorwan, Cody, Pascal

As we continue the discussion with Chlorthos Dragon, we discuss the need for parents to be able to show empathy. Also something about Forge of Virtue's Test of Love.
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As this second season of Byte-Sized Virtue moves through the Easter season, we've shifted the focus of episodes back

Ultima doesn't adequately represent all of the opposition that exists to each Virtue. Not that it handles anti-virtue badly...it just handles it incompletely.
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As this second season of Byte-Sized Virtue moves from the Lenten season into the Easter season, we will be switching the focus

Gone are the days when we could play games at whim, for what duration pleased us. How, as gamers, do we deal with changes in the gaming industry?
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As always, a hearty thank you to our Patreon co-producers: Seth, Johnny, Dominik, Chris, Violation, Adam, Erik, Thorwan, Cody, Pascal, and Neil.New Followers & Ultima Dragons
Podbean: thefinalcutmovieblog, ajstam1993, farmgamesociety
Ultima Dragons on Facebook: David, Johan, Frank, Markus, Tony, Todd, Davide

In which we take a look at the origins of the Eight Virtues of Ultima lore, and discuss the intersection of virtue and law.
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As this second season of Byte-Sized Virtue moves from the Lenten season into the Easter season, we will be switching the focus of episodes back to topics that relate, in some way, to the Eight Virtues (and Three Principles) of Ultima lore. Specifically, we'll be talking about the Virtue of Compassion and the Principle of Love, joined this time by Chlorthos Dragon.
I

Gone are the days when we could play games at whim, for what duration pleased us. How, as gamers, do we deal with getting older and having less time for our passtime?
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As always, a hearty thank you to our Patreon co-producers: Seth, Johnny, Dominik, Chris, Violation, Adam, Erik, Thorwan, Cody, Pascal, and Neil.New Patrons & Shout-Outs
New Patrons: Oceania
Shout-Outs: The anonymous person or persons behind the @ultimadragons

The Ultima series depicts love in a very philosophically interesting way, one which is very much in line with real-world ideals of mercy.
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As this second season of Byte-Sized Virtue moves from the Lenten season into the Easter season, we will be switching the focus of episodes back to topics that relate, in some way, to the Eight Virtues (and Three Principles) of Ultima lore. Specifically, we'll be talking about the Virtue of Compassion and the Principle of Love, joined this time by Chlorthos Dragon.

In which we wrap up the discussion with Paul and look at violence in a real-world context.
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For this second season of Byte-Sized Virtue, we continue to take the episode structure in a bit of a different direction, at least in part. This is the second episode drawn from a discussion between Withstand the Fury Dragon and an friend old friend of his, Paul, whose philosophical musings he has consistently enjoyed and respected. And rather than talk about any specific Virtue or Principle from Ultima, or its re

What starts as a discussion about story and gameplay mechanics morphs into discussion of the depiction of violence in video games, and how violence might end up being depicted in VR.
Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanPodcast Topic
For this second season of Byte-Sized Virtue, we continue to take the episode structure in a bit of a different direction, at least in part. This is the second episode drawn from a discussion between Withstand the Fury Dragon and an friend old friend of his, Paul, whose philosophical musings he has consistently enjoyed and respected.

Is post-secondary education all it's cracked up to be? Is STEM education the be-all and end-all of education? Why can't China make ball-point pens?
Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanPodcast Topic(s)
For this second season of Byte-Sized Virtue, we continue to take the episode structure in a bit of a different direction, at least in part. This is the third episode drawn from a discussion between Withstand the Fury Dragon and an friend old friend of his, Paul, whose philosophical musings he has consistently enjoyed and respected. And rather than talk about any sp

That time that three guys from BioWare helped Withstand the Fury Dragon's Beaver Scout troops design their own board games.
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Ultima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixCo-Producers
As always, a hearty thank you to our Patreon co-producers: Seth, Chris, Johnny, Dominik, Violation, Adam, Erik, Thorwan, Cody, Pascal, and Neil.New Patrons & Shout-Outs
This whole episode is basically a big shout-out, but here is the official shout-out to

A wide-ranging discussion that looks at a number of pressing issues in today's technological environment.
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For this second season of Byte-Sized Virtue, we continue to take the episode structure in a bit of a different direction, at least in part. This is the second episode drawn from a discussion between Withstand the Fury Dragon and an friend old friend of his, Paul, whose philosophical musings he has consistently enjoyed and respected. And rather than talk about any specific Virtue or Principle from Ultim

Spam Spam Spam Humbug reviews development on (and news about) Ultima Online that took place in 2015.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroCreation Theme, from the Ultima Online soundtrackPodcast Topic(s)Welcome back to another year of Spam Spam Spam Humbug. This year, to ring in 2016, episodes for the month of January will mostly be focused on re-capping the news pertaining to Ultima, including Ultima Online (which, at least for now, is the only game still in active development that is carrying on the Ultima namesake), various Ultima

Technology is morally neutral. But it can be turned toward good ends, such as community formation.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanPodcast TopicFor this second season (if that's the term to use) of Byte-Sized Virtue, I want to take the episode structure in a bit of a different direction, at least in part. You'll recall that for the Advent and Christmas season (2015-2016) season, I focused exclusively on the topic of Justice, and discussed the relationship between the virtue as it appears in the Ultima games and the real-world virtue that is its equivalent. And, to be fair, I'll pr

Spam Spam Spam Humbug chats with Richard Garriott and Starr Long about the genesis and first years of Ultima Online.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroCreation Theme, from the Ultima Online soundtrackPodcast Topic(s)Welcome back to another year of Spam Spam Spam Humbug. This year, to ring in 2016, episodes for the month of January will mostly be focused on re-capping the news pertaining to Ultima, including Ultima Online (which, at least for now, is the only game still in active development that is carrying on the Ultima name

Spam Spam Spam Humbug reviews development on (and news about) the game that took place in 2015.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroNovia Overworld, from the Shroud of the Avatar soundtrackPodcast TopicsWelcome back to another year of Spam Spam Spam Humbug. This year, to ring in 2016, episodes for the month of January will mostly be focused on re-capping the news pertaining to Ultima, including Ultima Online (which, at least for now, is the only game still in active development that is carrying on the Ultima namesake), various Ultima fa

As a prelude to discussing the news related to Shroud of the Avatar from 2015, Spam Spam Spam Humbug interviews Richard Garriott and Starr Long about the game.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroNovia Overworld, from the Shroud of the Avatar soundtrackNew Patrons & Shout-OutsFirst up, here's a note of thanks to Erik “Gronkh” Range, who recently backed the Ultima Codex on Patreon! Our apologies, Erik; normally, Patreon sends out a notification when there's a new backer, but for whatever reason it didn't in your case.

The Spam Spam Spam Humbug crew review development on (and news about) Underworld Ascendant that took place in 2015.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroUA Theme 1, from the Underworld Ascendant soundtrackNew Patrons & Shout-OutsA shout-out to whoever recommended us for a Featured Podcast listing on Podbean.

The Spam Spam Spam Humbug crew review the Ultima fan projects that were active in 2015.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixPodcast Topic(s)Welcome back to another year of Spam Spam Spam Humbug. This year, to ring in 2016, episodes for the month of January will mostly be focused on re-capping the news pertaining to Ultima, including Ultima Online (which, at least for now, is the only game still in active development that is carrying on the Ultima namesake), various

The Spam Spam Spam Humbug crew review the Ultima fan projects that were active in 2015.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixNew Patrons & Shout-OutsA shout-out to the guys at the Open Apple podcast, who discussed Ultima 4's 30th anniversary in their end-of-September episode, and linked to the Codex's article about that.New Followers & Ultima DragonsPodbean:

Justice isn't something which is limited to any one demographic group.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanWhile I had initially thought that I would bring this series of Byte-Sized Virtue episodes to a close at Christmas, it only took a bit of reflection to realize that there was a particularly strong point to be made — especially about a virtue such as Justice — by continuing on to what is called Epiphany in the Catholic liturgical calendar. This feast day is officially observed on January 6th, although most North American par

Why are you listening to philosophical and theological musings about Virtues on a gaming podcast?Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Android | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanI've been writing — and now recording — meditations on the Eight Virtues of Ultima lore for a few years now, and occasionally the question comes up: why do this?
It's a good question. I've been running what amounts to a major online Ultima fan hub since 2008 or so, and I've been running Ultima-related websites since 2004. That's a long time; not as long as some in the Ultima fandom have maintained sites, perhaps, but it amounts to a th

We've been discussing the virtue of Justice during Advent. What does Christmas have to do with Justice?Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanWhen I first set upon the idea of discussing the Virtue of Justice during Advent, and over the Christmas season, a few people expressed doubts about how I would be able to really tie the virtue in with Christmas proper. At least on the surface of it, the connection doesn't seem obvious. I mean, we catch the occasional glimpse of the concept in e.g. the lyrics of Christmas carols (e.g. “Hark the herald angels sing glory to the newborn King. Peace on Earth, and mercy mild; God and sinners reconciled.”), but for the most part the idea of Justice isn't the first — or even the third —

The Spam Spam Spam Humbug team offer up their rankings of the Ultima games, and discuss why they like (or dislike) each one.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixPodcast Topic(s)Slashing Dragon recently posted, on his blog, his ranking of the Ultima games. And while he lists the games in chronological order of their release, he appends his ranking to the end of his discussion of each entry in the series. He also makes the interesting move of grouping Akalabeth, Ultima Underworld, and Ultima Und

What is social justice? And more importantly, what isn't social justice?Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIf you've followed the news surrounding the controversies that have erupted in the video games press (and in the industry in general) over the last couple of years, you've probably encountered the term social justice (or the pejorative term social justice warrior, sometimes shortened to SJW) at some point. You've probably also encountered the concept of social justice if you've been involved with the mainline Christian churches since at least the year 2000. The idea of social justice — society's obligation to provide the conditions that allow associations or individuals

Spam Spam Spam Humbug chats with Adam “Goldenflame Dragon” Burr about The Dark Unknown, the Kickstarter campaign for which concludes this weekend.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroThe Dark Unknown, from The Dark Unknown soundtrackNew Followers & Ultima DragonsWe have a new follower on Podbean this week: ZTrigger (a podcast about gaming...and books).And we are also happy to welcome several new members to the Ultima Dragons Facebook group, including: Loren, Shane, Terry, Myke, Norrin

Spam Spam Spam Humbug looks at making the transition from being a game consumer to being a game creator.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroUltima 6 Intro - Can't Remove the Pain (Acid Usagi Remix) - Trance Edit by Acid UsagiNew Followers & Ultima DragonsNew on Podbean this week, we welcome A Day in the Life of a Crazy Cat Lady, couchop, The Podcast Show with Anthony Dalesandro, and WtFD

Let's take a look at the emergence of Justice as a virtue in Western thought.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanPreviously, we established the premise that Justice is giving right operation to others (or, if you prefer, giving to each person what is their legitimate due), that rights are the object of Justice, and that (in keeping with the understanding that Justice flows outward unto a multitude) we should understand rights as being things had by others, rather than simply considering them as things which we possess ourselves.This isn't — or shouldn't — be a particularly novel notion, and it isn't something that I invented out of whole cloth for the sake of making a point. This view of what Justice i

How did the turn-based & real-time mechanics of the various Ultimas make the games better, or possibly worse?Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroUltima 6 Intro - Can't Remove the Pain (Acid Usagi Remix) - Trance Edit by Acid UsagiNew Followers & Ultima DragonsNew followers on Podbean this week are: mattrix (his first episode is a sound check, and some thoughts on Fallout 4), budyartigue, perfectworde, kuangjianke625

A meditation on the Virtue of Justice.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIt being Advent, I find myself moved once more to muse upon matters philosophical, examining the Eight Virtues of the Ultima series and comparing these against real-world philosophy and theology. This year, I'd like to focus on the Virtue of Justice, which I don't think I've given much attention to in years past.Thomist theologian James Chastek wrote — or shared; it's not clear — a parable on his blog some years back:A certain Queen was

Spam Spam Spam Humbug chats with members of the Ultima Online team.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroCreation Theme, from the Ultima Online soundtrackPodcast Topic(s)This week, as a way of belatedly marking the 18th anniversary of Ultima Online (which actually happened back in September), Spam Spam Spam Humbug is pleased to welcome members of the Ultima Online development team from Broadsword Online Games.The Past: Who's Who & StoriesEach member of the group from Broadsword introduces themselves, and tells us a bit about how long they've been with Ultima Online. They also share their favouri

Joe Garrity returns to Spam Spam Spam Humbug to discuss the recent DMCA exemption that was granted to benefit game preservationists.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixNew Patrons & Shout-OutsThere are a couple shout-outs we'd like to give to backers of the Ultima Codex. First up, Chris increased his Patreon pledge a little while ago, so thank you very much for that.And then, just recently, Matthew somehow found an old donation link on the Codex...and it still worked! So he sent in a few dollars, along with a little note. He writes: “Thanks for maintainin

WtF Dragon, Gradilla Dragon, and Chlorthos Dragon discuss the generic nature of Ultima's Britannia as compared to other, more fleshed-out RPG settings.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixPodcast TopicsWe are joined this evening by Chlorthos Dragon — and we learn how to pronounce that, actually — to discuss a topic of his suggestion: the generic nature and “feel” of Britannia versus the more fleshed-out settings of other RPGs.[Chlorthos] I listen to Mission Log, a Star Trek podcast. In one episode, they discussed how Star Trek's settin

When you back a crowdfunded project — on Kickstarter or elsehwere — exactly what does that mean? What's the nature of your pledge, and what is the nature of your relationship with the developer thereafter?Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixPodcast Topic(s)This episode is mostly off the cuff, so the show notes aren't as comprehensive.What is a Kickstarter/crowdfunding pledge? What does it entitle the pledge-giver to, and what relationship d

Helgraf Dragon joins us for an episode, and we learn a bit about him and his freaky avatar.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on Podbean
IntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMix
New Followers & Ultima DragonsWe're happy to welcome a few new followers on Podbean this week: wholelotofgamingwithiic, Housebound Podcasts (which seems to talk about the latest news and rumours pertaining to superhero movies and television shows), and shoebie23.And in the Ultima Dragons Facebook group, we welco

WtFD muses about the task of introducing his kids to computer games. Also, Spam Spam Spam Humbug crossed the 100,000 listens threshold this week, so thank you for listening.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixNew Patrons & Shout-OutsA big thanks to Neil, who recently adjusted (upward, just so we're clear) his Patreon pledge in support of the Ultima Codex.And I'd like to give a

Spam Spam Spam Humbug sits down with Colby Young and Gord Moran of IronOak Games to discuss For The King, and its beginnings in The Black Gate Board Game.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroTeaser Trailer Score, from the For The King soundtrackNew Followers & Ultima DragonsSpam Spam Spam Humbug has a couple new followers on Podbean this week: amoten and brionna123.As well, a few more people have joined the Ultima Dragons groups on Facebook and Google+; welcome to Rodrigo (who also joined the Google+ group), Collin, and Martin, and SPLUT! to all.Podcast Topic(s

Withstand the Fury Dragon looks back at Ultima Forever a bit after the one-year anniversary of its shutdown.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroCome With Me, Stranger, from the Ultima Forever soundtrackNew Patrons & Shout-OutsWe have a couple new patrons on Patreon this week: Chris Hopkins and Johnny Wood are our newest backers. Thank you, Chris and Johnny; your support will help keep the Ultima Codex going, and helps bring us closer to being able to upgrade its hosting. And upgraded hosting means more RAM, more processing power, and more storage space to host files for all of the awesome Ultima fan

Ultima 4 was released thirty years ago, if you can believe that. As such, the SSSH crew discuss the game, its legacy, and whether or not modern gamers can handle it.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroWander, by David Arnold, from the Ultima 4 soundtrackNew Followers & Ultima DragonsWe have a new follower on Podbean this week: ploy812. Welcome, and we

An examination of games which have over- or under-delivered on promises made early in development.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixNew Patrons & Shout-OutsFirstly, I'd like to send some thanks in the direction of Dominus, from the Exult team, who recently backed the Ultima Codex on Patreon! To those of you who've been in the Ultima fan project scene for a while, Dom needs no introduction; those of you who don't know him might be interested to know that he's the caretaker of the Exult project (the cross-

How does the Ultima series handle masculinity and femininity? How are certain characters — or even the Virtues — portrayed as masculine/feminine?Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on Stitcher | Subscribe on PodbeanIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixPodcast Topic(s)[Ken] So this is kind of a big deal, as episodes go, because this is the first episode for which the topic has been determined via an outside suggestion. You'll recall, back in Episode 14, before we got to talking about New Project Britannia, we gave a shout-out to Juliet (a friend of Linguistic

How much prominence does combat need to have in an RPG? How necessary should combat be to progressing through — or passing — the game? And is there something “lesser” about including an “easy” difficulty setting?Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMix

Eleven years ago, the Ultima Codex's predecessor — Ultima Aiera — was launched. Some pretty wild stuff has happened since then.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroThe Parting Glass, as recorded by Shaun Davey for the Waking Ned Devine soundtrack.Podcast Topic(s)This episode is mostly off-the-cuff. Truth be told, I find it difficult to approach the issue of the Codex's (and Ultima Aiera's) anniversary, unless I spend weeks in advance preparing and revising (and re-revising) the text. I haven't had time for that this year, so this podcast episode serves as a stand-in for that. It's a particularly good episode, though, and I'd encourage you to listen to

The response to the announcement of New Project Britannia has been overwhelming, so let's talk a bit about what the project needs and where we want to see it go.IntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixNew Patrons & Shout-OutsI want to give a shout-out to Josh Nielsen, a.k.a. Joshontheweb (you can find him on Twitter: @joshontheweb). He's a long-time Ultima fan, and a long-time fan of the Codex as well; we've been mutual follows on Twitter for a few years now. And it turns out that he's actually working on Zencastr. Josh and I had a really engaging discussion on Twitter about Zencastr and some of the features that would turn it into a powerful podcasting platform, and it's cool that in addition to being passionate about all things audio (

Project Britannia II: a new framework to be built by and for the Ultima & SotA fandoms, which intends to become the go-to resource for Ultima & SotA fan projects.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixNew Patrons and Shout-OutsFirstly, I'd like to give a shout-out to Cody, who recently adjusted his Patreon pledge...upward, just to be clear. That was a really cool thing to do; thanks!Also, a note of thanks to Juliet, who sent in the first topic suggestion we've received to date. That's right: thus far, we've thought up all of the things we've talked about ourselves. But she had a great suggestion — she wonders if we'd con

In which we look at ways to get the Ultima games up and running on mobile devices. This is relatively easy in the case of Ultimas 1 through 8...but what about Ultima 9?Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixNew Patrons & Shout-OutsA big shout-out to Browncoat Jayson and Golem Dragon, both of whom worked to keep the Ultima Codex up to date with the latest Shroud of the Avatar, Underworld Ascendant, and Crowfall-related news during the last few days of June and the first few days of July.There have been

E3 has come and gone. There were actually some pretty neat things presented thereat, albeit EA has once again refused to announce a new single-player Ultima.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixPodcast Topic(s)Sergorn Dragon and I have this thing we do every year, just before the first-day EA showcase at E3: we each pick odds that a new, single-player Ultima game will be announced. Over the years, we've broadened this category a little bit: we're not necessarily asking for a BioWare-level AAA cinematic experience, after all. It would be perfectly fine with us if EA took a page from Ubisoft a

What is a companion, in an RPG context? What is a henchman? Does the distinction even matter, and if so, why?Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixNew Patrons & Shout-OutsThis week, the Ultima Codex has new supporters on Patreon! Thank you, Pascal and kodenkm, for helping keep the site running.Follow-Up From Previous EpisodeSo how about that timing? I

In which Withstand the Fury Dragon geeks out for a bit about Mass Effect 4 and Ultima 6, and muses upon the future of the Ultima Codex.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroCrash Landing, from the Mass Effect 2 soundtrack.Podcast Topic(s)I was going to talk about some of the recent rumours surrounding the next Mass Effect game — which I'll refer to as Mass Effe

Being an excerpt from the Journal of the Avatar, from the period of history known as “The Warriors of Destiny”.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixShout-Outs and New PatronsSeeing as how this is the first time we'll be thanking new patrons, this is more of a shout-out to everyone who is already supporting the Ultima Codex via Patreon. So big thanks go out to Stirring Dragon, Seth, Violation, Adam, Chris, Neil

Do video games really need to grow up? Are they mostly just immature power fantasies at present, or are they vehicles for philosophy and mature storytelling?Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroUltima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMixFollow-Up From Previous EpisodeReckoning's nods to Ultima. Especially the destinies & skill trees. Podcast Topic(s)

Withstand the Fury Dragon never seems able to shut up about Big Huge Games' 2012 RPG, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Herein, he'll try and explain why.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroGadflow, from the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning soundtrack (composed by Grant Kirkhope). Podcast Topic(s)The great tragedy of Big Huge Games' Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is that it all but demands a sequel, and will never have one. Although its developer, Big Huge Games, has re-opened, the Amalur IP remains the property of Rhode Island in the wake of the 38 Studios bankruptcy.

In which SSSH discusses the attention and detail that were put into the manuals and reference books that accompanied the Ultima games.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroOC ReMix #44: Ultima IV 'trollbash' by Subliminal Labs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SQBKgHA9jUPodcast Topic(s)Kotaku — which, granted, is not the most historically literate gaming-focused website — posted an article recently which purported to discuss The Beauty of the Game Instruction Manual (

The Spam Spam Spam Humbug crew take a look at Ultima 5: Warriors of Destiny.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroUltima V - Stones 2001 Remix by DJ Lizard (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I1eprpYEDU)Follow-Up From Previous EpisodeAdric speaks briefly to something from the Pillars of Eternity discussion.Podcast Topic(s)The Creation and Design of Ultima 5What were some of the obvious influences that Origin Systems drew on for inspiration? TolkienRobin HoodWhat were some of the significant changes in game de

Spam Spam Spam Humbug gets group! WtF Dragon is joined by Boolean Dragon, Linguistic Dragon, and others to discuss Obsidian Entertainment's new RPG, Pillars of Eternity.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroTitle Theme - Pillars of Eternity Soundtrack (Justin Bell)Podcast Topic(s)Pillars of Eternity: Obsidian Entertainment's Pillars of Eternity (http://eternity.obsidian.net/) was released a couple weeks ago. It casts players in the role of The Watcher, a uniquely gifted individual who can perceive the souls of others.Pillars of Eternity is also designed, in part, as a throwback to the Infinity Engine RPGs of the late 1990s and ea

Proving once again that reducing something to raw numbers isn't necessarily the best way to appreciate its beauty: Kotaku commits journalism with a grand article about the Homeworld Remastered soundtrack. Also: useful Windows applications, encryption software, and sundry other gaming news.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroTheme from the Castle of Death (Ultima III) by Dan Minut - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5EnSST8nM0Podcast Topic(s)Gaming “news” site Kotaku took a break from posting articles about the history of dicks — penises, just so we're clear, not toxic jerks — in video gaming (

In which WtF Dragon comments on Warren Spector's SXSW lecture on “the dangers of thinking of games as fun” and raises some objections thereto. Because the real danger is the idea that fun is necessarily the same as escapism.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroUltima Music Market Place Uploaded by Pekka Leppäluoto - https://youtu.be/xO-lLTo8HUIPodcast Topic(s)Warren Spector, presenting at SXSW earlier this month, gave a talk on “the dangers of thinking of games as fun”. (

The first Spam Spam Spam Humbug episode. Topics include RPG elitism, Shroud of the Avatar, ten rules for creating fantasy maps, and an iOS game that has come out now for Windows which is a keen homage of Wind Walker.Subscribe on iTunes | Subscribe on StitcherIntroRule, Britannia, from George Nowik’s remix of the Ultima 3 soundtrackPodcast Topic(s)On RPG Elitism: This conversation in the